By 2030, foreign countries - and especially the United States - will be able to strike from space for the whole territory of Russia, said on Tuesday the commander of Air Force Colonel General Alexander Zelina. At the same time, he promised that by the year 2020 Russia will create a new type of armed forces in military and space defense. This year, the Air Force troops will be ready. Established teams are armed with S-400 and modified C-500.

"Development of air-space attack foreign countries shows that up to 2030, dramatic changes occur in the development of air-space as a single sphere of armed struggle" - warned the Chief of Air Force (Air Force), the Russian Federation, Colonel General Alexander Zelenin, speaking Conference on "Status and prospects for the development of Air Force."

"The Air Force of foreign countries, especially the United States will be able to apply a coordinated time-precision strikes on a global scale in virtually all purposes in the territory of the Russian Federation" - leads him RIA Novosti.

At the same time, Colonel-General pledged that by the year 2020 Russia will create a new type of armed forces in military and space-defense: "The main objective of improving the Air Force Russia to 2020: the creation of a new type of armed forces is the basis of air State-space defense, capable in time of peace to deterring potential aggressors, and in the military - armed aggression reflect all the available arsenal of conventional and nuclear weapons ", - he explained.

Zelina Alexander also reported that after 11 years of Air Force troops Russia will be ready. According to him, the task of translating the Air Force combat units in permanent readiness scheduled to perform consistently, increasing the number of permanent readiness for the period from 2009 to 2016 and the second term - until 2020, Interfax reports.

Created teams of air and space defense systems would be armed with C-400 and C-500, said Chief of the Air Force. "C-500 is created not on the basis of P-400, the further improvement of weapons that will be capable of engaging ballistic hypersonic and objectives," - explained Zelina.

Armament Air Force, in principle, will undergo major changes. According Zelina in Russia are under way to develop advanced vehicles, including hypersonic aircraft at a speed of approximately 6M.

"Air Force carried out works in this field, our institutions dealing with development of a fundamentally new means and systems" - the Air Force chief cites Itar-Tass. Zelina, however, stressed that "the specific orders of such samples the latest technology the Air Force has not yet been provided, maintained until the development of a theoretical manner."

Replying to a question, not whether or not to hurry in response to the development of hypersonic aircraft in the United States, Chief of the Air Force said: "We have to understand what level of threat from these aircraft. You should also understand what we need to stop this type of aircraft flights over the territory of Russia or friendly states. "

Alexander Zelina said that the Russia Ministry of Defense is also developing its own unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), but does not preclude the purchase of foreign Designs: "Based on the concept that we presented two years ago, the Russian industry continues to create designs UAVs. At the same time not excluding the options for the purchase of foreign designs and then use them for the benefit of the Armed Forces of Russia ", - he said.

Continuing the theme of bespilotnikov, Zelina said that in the development of domestic appliances will be used not only the experience of Russian industry, but also other countries, particularly Israel, the United States and France. And these, in his words, being well: "In particular, for the improvement of the work planned relocation center drone close to Moscow," - reminded Zelina.

How to write newspaper opinion, less than a week ago, Alexander made Zelina and more specific statements. In particular, the announced end dates of tests and proceeds to adopt several types of technology. Thus, according to the commander, by 2020, new machines will be up to 70% of the domestic fleet of military aircraft. In doing so, up to 40% of the park will be unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance-strike complexes.

Speaking on the future tactical aviation complex PAK FA relating to the fifth generation fighter aircraft, General Zelina stated that he entered service in 2015, but it will begin testing this. However, it should be noted that projections of a high-ranking military sometimes overly optimistic. For example, he spoke before the start of testing the fifth-generation aircraft in 2008 and entering service in 2012-m.

Zelina on Tuesday reiterated that the Russian fifth generation fighter aircraft to rise into the air before the end of the year:

"In November, we must fly, as a last resort - in December, but in any event, this year we will raise the car," - he has promised.

Meanwhile, sources at the newspaper VIEW plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, where the assembly of multiple copies of experienced, not sure of the feasibility of these dates. The first flights PAK FA (also known under the symbol I-21 and T-50, item 059) are scheduled for the first half of 2010, probably in the second quarter. This year could be held only vykatka prototype from the factory shop.

Head and spoke about the changes in technical and logistic BBC: "The network of repair of military aircraft will be converted to" Aircraft Holding Company with the management company within the Air Force. The storage and maintenance of air defense weapons, the supply of APP will be organized in one central database. In Each command will be formed of troop repair ", - he explained.

Zelina said that the logistics will include general security subsystem and a subsystem for the nomenclature of the Air Force. The basis will be airborne logistic base, which, in addition to the supply of aviation and technical equipment, will provide part of the communications, chemical, engineering and motor equipment, and other materiel.

Commenting on the issue of army aviation, head expressed his confidence that in the long run, it should enter into the composition of the Army: "The future of army aviation should be composed of the Army, but you need to create a management system to ensure that in future it was part of Ground Troops, "- said Zelina.

MOSCOW, August 11 (RIA Novosti) - Russia will create a new generation of air and space defenses to counter any strikes against its territory by 2020 due to a potential foreign threat, the Air Force commander said on Tuesday.

"By 2030...foreign countries, particularly the United States, will be able to deliver coordinated high-precision strikes from air and space against any target on the whole territory of Russia," Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin said, referring to the potential for new hypersonic and space-based offensive weapons.

"That is why the main goal of the development of the Russian Air Force until 2020 is to create a new branch of the Armed Forces, which would form the core of the country's air and space defenses to provide a reliable deterrent during peacetime, and repel any military aggression with the use of conventional and nuclear arsenals in a time of war," the general said.

According to Zelin, all Russian Air Force units will be constantly combat-ready by 2020.

"We are planning to conduct a gradual transition of Air Force units to a constant combat-ready status...and accomplish this task by 2020," the commander said.

During this period, the Air Force will bring combat units to full strength, equip them with modernized and new weaponry, and significantly improve combat training of military pilots.

Zelin said under the new concept, air-space defense brigades will be created within Russia's Air Force, and they will be equipped with advanced S-400 and planned S-500 air defense systems.

"In line with the new air-space defense concept, we have already formed a number of brigades, which will be armed with S-400 and S-500 air defense systems," Zelin said at a news conference in Moscow.

The S-400 Triumf (SA-21 Growler) is designed to intercept and destroy airborne targets at a distance of up to 400 kilometers (250 miles), twice the range of the U.S. MIM-104 Patriot, and 2 1/2 times that of Russia's S-300PMU-2.

The system is also believed to be able to destroy stealth aircraft, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles, and is effective at ranges up to 3,500 kilometers (2,200 miles) and speeds up to 4.8 kilometers (3 miles) per second.

Russia's Defense Ministry considers the delivery of S-400 air defense missile systems to the Russian Armed Forces a priority, and wants the defense industry to increase the production of these systems despite the current economic crisis.

The fifth-generation S-500 air defense system, which is currently in the blueprint stage and is expected to be rolled out by 2012, would outperform the S-400 as well as the U.S. Patriot Advanced Capability-3 system.

"The S-500 system is being developed under a unique design...and will be capable of destroying hypersonic and ballistic targets," the general said.

Meanwhile, the Soviet-era MiG-31 Foxhound supersonic interceptor aircraft will most likely be used as part of the new air-space defense network, as was intended when it was designed.

"We are upgrading this system to be able to accomplish the same [air-space defense] tasks," Zelin said.

According to some sources, Russia has over 280 MiG-31 aircraft in active service and about 100 aircraft in reserve.

The concept of space based weapons is just too easy, especially for both the US and Russia. The technology existed since the 60's with the earliest ICBM. Most ICBM's can leave the atmosphere and re-enter; provide one with a nuclear warhead and have it floating in space for 20 years (lack of oxygen and other forms of biological anomalies, would slow down degrading process of the warhead) and lets say at one point someone pisses someone else off, these missiles (under a command) could be re-activated and re-enter the atmosphere and strike its target. No space based defense would protect it.

Both Russia and USA anyway operates satellites of early missile warning systems. So either or, nothing will change. But the process of these weapons that Russia is creating (former projects during the SU era) are really meant to target the communication and GPS satellites. Striking the enemies communication outpost and its position outpost, would provide the tactical advantage to the Russian's, as there would be little to communicate with both the unmanned vehicles and the soldiers out on the field.

This is why I see moving to a high tech military (or at least the whole military) is a dangerous idea. We are better off producing high technology for abroad and export, but still provide the basic skills to the soldiers. Like a Canadian soldier friend of mine said (after he dealt with training with the US soldiers) "that is if it wasn't for their high tech gadgets, they would be useless.". I agree with him.

The possibility of it is so remote, we can't afford to maintain obsolete forces. We also need to mass produce high tech items so we can get export costs down, increasing our sales overseas. If we just plan on knocking out their GPS constellation, they will just put up stealth satellites making it obsolete. This is why we do not want the militarisation of space. They have already given JDAM a facelift to remove this threat. They are preparing for it so it we can't sit idle while they pass us further in technology.

The possibility of it is so remote, we can't afford to maintain obsolete forces. We also need to mass produce high tech items so we can get export costs down, increasing our sales overseas. If we just plan on knocking out their GPS constellation, they will just put up stealth satellites making it obsolete. This is why we do not want the militarisation of space. They have already given JDAM a facelift to remove this threat. They are preparing for it so it we can't sit idle while they pass us further in technology.

Concept of "stealth" satellites are just as much as possible to attack as anything else. Since space has less (in terms of what is close to us) objects to block out laser tracking devices, stealth satellites are more of an expensive concept with little gain. Place up satellite observing.......satellites, and there you go.

We knock out their GPS, they lose half of their technology (if not more), and the time it would take to get more up there, is enough time for Russia to make any attack and have it done. One way or another, America is going to do what it wants in space and everywhere else. So Russia must and has to be prepared with other concepts of fighting back. Like I said, floating ICBM's in space is cheap, effective and even if in case of war, USA's ABM's are like an umbrella in a warzone. There would be no way of fighting against missiles raining from space.

Like I said before, they will do what they want. And if they want ABM systems in space (which they will put one way or another), then mine as well give them a damn good reason to have them up there, with these missiles.

Concept of "stealth" satellites are just as much as possible to attack as anything else. Since space has less (in terms of what is close to us) objects to block out laser tracking devices, stealth satellites are more of an expensive concept with little gain. Place up satellite observing.......satellites, and there you go.

talking about Satellites.. how's the "Polyus" project ?.. has Russians completely given up on it or maybe..want to revive it.. instead of placing ICMB on space... the Polyus can be used to to protect the ICBM en-route to target area.. intercepting the Interceptors.. i feel it's promising since the US and Japan have already began to research a "multiple Interceptors".. a concept looks similar with early Soviets "Istrebitel Satellite" by using a Sat to carry multiple small kinetic interceptor.. that will intercept the warhead along with anything its carries like Decoys.. or Jammers.

Stealthflanker wrote:talking about Satellites.. how's the "Polyus" project ?.. has Russians completely given up on it or maybe..want to revive it.. instead of placing ICMB on space... the Polyus can be used to to protect the ICBM en-route to target area.. intercepting the Interceptors.. i feel it's promising since the US and Japan have already began to research a "multiple Interceptors".. a concept looks similar with early Soviets "Istrebitel Satellite" by using a Sat to carry multiple small kinetic interceptor.. that will intercept the warhead along with anything its carries like Decoys.. or Jammers.

Polus is dead as long as militarisation of space is not conducted. To intercept ICBMs were are coming out with C-500 which will be the most capable in the world.

Stealthflanker wrote:talking about Satellites.. how's the "Polyus" project ?.. has Russians completely given up on it or maybe..want to revive it.. instead of placing ICMB on space... the Polyus can be used to to protect the ICBM en-route to target area.. intercepting the Interceptors.. i feel it's promising since the US and Japan have already began to research a "multiple Interceptors".. a concept looks similar with early Soviets "Istrebitel Satellite" by using a Sat to carry multiple small kinetic interceptor.. that will intercept the warhead along with anything its carries like Decoys.. or Jammers.

Polus is dead as long as militarisation of space is not conducted. To intercept ICBMs were are coming out with C-500 which will be the most capable in the world.

Polus may be dead (more then likely a storage unit), and in case of a space based threat, it can become operational. That is the wonders of Soviet technology, is that they expanded and experimented with almost every aspect of military for past,present and future. Difference is, most where prototypes. But the technology has advanced for Russia during the years (especially in the last 5 years), and these old projects (if the blue prints are still existent) can be risen from the tomb and be compatible with today's technology.

I liked IS-MU project for hunting down enemy sats and hope that project is still alive and well.Concerning sats survivability I like China idea of micro sats that have ability to power on engine from now and than.

"Next year we must focus on strengthening our air and space defenses, and combine the existing air defense and missile defense networks, missile early-warning systems and airspace monitoring systems under a unified strategic command," Medvedev said in his annual address to the Federal Assembly.

The Russian political and military leadership have long considered plans to develop strong missile and space defenses by 2020, but no concrete steps have been taken so far and the country does not even have a well-defined command structure to tackle this problem.

According to one proposal, the unified aerospace defense command will absorb some air defense units which are currently part of the Russian Air Force, and Space Forces units.

The Russian military plans to build a comprehensive air and space defense network consisting of S-400 Triumf and future S-500 air defense systems and the Soviet-era MiG-31 Foxhound supersonic interceptors.

The S-500 system is expected to have an extended range of up to 600 km (over 370 miles) and simultaneously engage up to 10 targets. The system will be capable of destroying hypersonic and ballistic targets.

Russia's leading missile manufacturer Almaz-Antei said in March that it was developing at least six types of advanced air defense systems to be available for the Russian military around 2015.

Thats funny, they already combined space and missiles in the late ninties, then four years later they separated them again because they got rid and dispersed too many specialists . Now they want to unify it yet again to save money.

KRON1 wrote:Thats funny, they already combined space and missiles in the late ninties, then four years later they separated them again because they got rid and dispersed too many specialists . Now they want to unify it yet again to save money.

I rather they keep it seperate .

The air force knows nothing about our space defense and will miss everything up!

So really what they are talking about is the combination of the missile and radar components of the former PVO that were transfered to the airforce and the strategic rocket forces long range and space searching radars to form an space and air defence force.

Would they be subject to the 4 districts control or would they offer a single unified command that covers all of Russian territory covering strategic targets?

The idea of satellite support for air defence systems is pretty cool and additionally missiles that can reach into space yet are mobile enough to operate with an S-400 unit is very interesting.

I think it makes sense for one organisation to monitor the airspace over Russia and the empty vaccuum above that air.

As SAMs start being able to leave the atmosphere so the accompanying radars will need to shift to frequencies to see out into space, so mobile SAMs can contribute to the Russian view of space as well as much larger fixed radars and optical systems currently do.

Russia to start building unified air and space defense system in 2011 - General Staff

RIA Novosti

12:30 14/12/2010 MOSCOW, December 14 (RIA Novosti) - Russia is planning to build the basis for a unified air and space defense base in 2011 to protect the country from missiles, the chief of the Russian General Staff said on Tuesday.

"The state needs a shield to protect it against attacks from ballistic, medium-range and cruise missiles," Gen. Nikolai Makarov said.

Last week Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said the country's space and air defense systems should be unified before December 2011.

The Russian military plans to build a comprehensive air and space defense network consisting of S-400 Triumf and future S-500 air defense systems and the Soviet-era MiG-31 Foxhound supersonic interceptors.

I wonder if this means there is a future for a pure interceptor aircraft?

I have seen ambitious plans of satellite supported radar coverage so aircraft might just be missile carriers using off platform sensors to detect targets, I would think larger aircraft that can supercruise with a heavy load of large long range AAMs would be an ideal replacement for the Mig-31. Stealth would no be so important but reasonably high speed and long range plus large payload of missiles would be important I suspect.

Interesting they describe the new defence as being aimed at missiles with no mention of aircraft.

I think in theory setting up an organisation with the role of scanning the skies and space above Russia based on two organisations that already try to do so to an extent makes a lot of sense, especially if they can make that data available to the other services where and when they needed it.

If they are going for a real netcentric environment all departments and organisations will need to share data, so even a tank commander can access an air state picture showing friendly and enemy aircraft and missiles in the airspace in his region. He will add to the ground picture using his sensors and transmit up his chain of command to form a part of the ground picture, though of course the majority of the ground picture will come from recon assets designed to cover much larger areas much quicker.

Very nice article in latest Military Parade , it shows the future development in field of Air/Space warning that will take place in the next 2 decades and its from horses mouth. {Please do not post it anywhere}

START III AND DEVELOPMENT OF MISSILE AND SPACE DEFENCE

Author: Sergei Boev

Sergei Boev, Designer General of the RTI Sistemy Consortium, designer general the missile attack warning system commercial-off-the-shelf radar

The Russian president and his US counterpart, who signed the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START III) in April 2010, have taken a crucial step towards improving mutual nuclear safety and decreasing the level of the nuclear threat across the globe. When implemented, the commitments undertaken will significantly reduce nuclear potentials of the two great powers. At the same time the global strategic security will not be affected, despite the fact that there still are certain disagreements over key problems between our countries.

The lack of understanding about missile defence constitutes one of such differences. The statement, issued by the Russian side after the Treaty had been signed, reads: “The Treaty can only be effective and viable, if there is no build-up of the capabilities and the strength of the missile defence system, which can ultimately result in posing a threat to Russian strategic forces.” “It is linked to the configuration of our potentials,” the Russian president said.

The term ‘configuration' is a key one for defence industry experts, since it is the defence industry that is responsible for the configuration of the national defence potential.

In terms of the line of work, pursued by the RTI Sistemy Consortium, to wit development of powerful super-radars for space surveillance, missile attack warning, and missile defence systems, this definition does not simply mobilise efforts. It has determined the necessity to revise the ongoing research and development of space and missile defence information systems, as well as to evaluate their current and future contribution to ensuring nuclear deterrence and maintaining strategic stability. We have to review time and again both ongoing and planned projects for compliance with the objective of maintaining strategic stability and the nuclear deterrence posture, sufficient to guarantee infliction of specified damage (as per the new Russian military doctrine) in the environment, to be established after the START III is ratified.

Even the initial assessment shows that new issues and requirements, which were not as critical earlier, will emerge. It is obvious that as far as the development of space and missile defence information systems is concerned, the RTI Sistemy Consortium now faces challenges, demanding a total focus of intellectual and production potentials of its flagship enterprises, including the Radio Engineering Institute named after A.L. Mints and the Scientific Research Institute for Long-Range Radio Communications. We are now seeing a transformation of the power balance, created over the past few decades, as far as threats to our national security are concerned. We believe that the major factors of this transformation are as follows:

2. The threat of PGM strikes against Russian strategic targets increases. There is a drastic growth in the risk of hostile cruise missiles suppressing the top chain of command, missile and space defence information systems, and command and control (C2) systems of the Russian Armed Forces.

3. The established balance of mutual strategic nuclear deterrence may be tipped through the weapon-isation of space and deployment of strategic missile defence elements across the globe (both in Eastern Europe and in the Far East) all around Russia.

4. The jamming and the target environment within the coverage of missile and space defence systems grows more complicated, which makes it difficult to generate timely and valid warning information in case of an attack.

The list of threats and challenges is in fact considerably longer. However, the issue here is not the number of threats and challenges, but the task to make the configuration of potentials, mentioned by the Russian president, flexible and adaptable to any transformation or nascent threat.

It would not be fair to say that Russia has not attempted to tackle the problem. Methods for solving this problem are based on time-proved efficient target-oriented planning programmes and proposals on missile and space defence information systems, introduced into the current State Arms Programme (SAP-2015). The SAP programme envisions elements of adaptation to the changing environment. Here are some examples to this end:

It was a complicated process. Development was conducted in the 1990s, given tremendous limitations of resources, including financial resources. It was necessary to solve an entire range of problems, starting with production of components, since back then manufacturing plants were in a deep crisis and suffered physically and morally obsolete production facilities, and a considerable attrition, and, therefore, shortages, of qualified experts. The Consortium managed to solve these problems despite dramatic hardships.

The Consortium developed the Voronezh and the Voronezh-DM COTS radar prototypes, operating in difference bandwidths. The Voronezh radar, deployed in Lekhtusi, has already undergone state tests, while the Voronezh-DM, deployed in Armavir, is currently undergoing factory tests. We expect the Voronezh-DM radar to complete the state tests this year and to be fielded with the Russian Space Forces.

2. The Radio Engineering Institute named after A.L. Mints and the Scientific Research Institute for Long-Range Radio Communications have worked out proposals on future development of space and missile defence radars. The proposals have been submitted for consideration to be included in the draft state arms programme through to 2020 (SAP-2020). They include the following:

First and foremost, establishment of a central radar system designed for acquisition and processing of data, fed by space-based components of the missile attack warning system, over-the-horizon radars, perimeter acquisition radars of the missile attack warning system, and central radar field surveillance radars (Don-2N general-purpose radar, the Dunai-3U surveillance radar, and COTS radars). It will:

• increase reliability of evaluation of possible targeted facilities, the scale of an attack, and targets, attacking crucial facilities;

• detect and track potential targets, including ballistic missiles with gliding warheads and hypersonic cruise missiles, throughout their flight trajectories;

• engage non-strategic ballistic missiles and provide information support to combat employment of air defence and missile defence systems;

• mutual synchronisation, reception, and processing of signals, emitted by other radars, and multi-positioning within a group of space and missile defence information assets.

Much has been done, but even more remains to be done. There is no time for idling. Unfortunately, we have yet to capitalise on advantages, offered by such large-scale integrated enterprises as the RTI Sistemy Consortium, incorporated a decade ago, to the full extent.

The consortium management, which realises tougher requirements to space and missile defence information systems in light of the START III Treaty, understands short- and long-term priorities, facing the company.

Our major scientific and engineering efforts are focused on ensuring the required high intellectual level of information systems, which, being the ‘eyes and ears' of the Russian president, who is also Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Force, will have to discharge every task assigned.

Much theoretical, engineering, and methodological progress has been done in this sphere.

Engineering and design solutions are tested by developing mathematical models on a specially designed multi-purpose stand. This approach will increase the efficiency of testing algorithms and monitoring operation of strategic space and missile defence information systems and reduce their commissioning time without significantly expanding the number of experts involved.

When space and missile defence systems are fielded and operated, it is necessary to address such problems as current assessment and prediction of basic specifications and capabilities of items produced, analysis of performance of tracking systems, control systems, etc. In order to solve such problems experts simulate space target environments to carry out necessary experiments. Traditional gauges, available at strategic defensive systems' deployment sites, are sometimes as accurate as the hardware they are supposed to monitor, which is clearly not sufficient. This fact results in the necessity of finding new ways to solve the afore-mentioned problems.

Mathematical and in-line simulations become major methods of testing defence algorithms and techniques, as well as basic specifications of existing and advanced radars.

New technologies, developed by the RTI Sistemy Consortium, will streamline financial, material, and human resources in the course of the development of efficient and science-intensive information

Thus, the analysis of the environment, space surveillance, missile attack warning, and missile defence systems will have to operate in, as well as tasks, which will face their designers and manufacturers after the START III comes into force, allows the following conclusions to be drawn:

1. Given the reduction in nuclear arms, the focus is shifted towards conventional offensive weapons. According to experts, in the next five to seven years the effect of a massive PGM strike will be comparable to that of a nuclear attack.

2. The new START III Treaty will be able to increase the stability of the strategic nuclear deterrence only given a corresponding level of information assets for space surveillance, missile attack warning, and space and missile defence systems, since timely and reliable information, provided by such assets, prevents an aggressor from delivering a surprise missile or nuclear strike. Given appearance of new types of targets and a growing role of conventional PGMs, a natural way of developing space and missile defence information systems consists in their integration into a single missile and PGM attack warning system.

3. The new draft State Arms Programme for 2011-2020 should envision research and development of efficient target detection systems and integration of space and missile defence information systems into a single missile and PGM attack warning system.

Editorial note

The article by S.F. Boev raises issues that determine the efficiency of future space surveillance, missile attack warning, and space and missile defence systems, which are crucial components of the national security. Military Parade invites everyone, working on the configuration of defence potentials, including military commanders, scientists, and defence industry designers, to share their views, which will be published in our magazine.

From what we saw of the B-2 crash the advanced carbon composites burn really really well. If you hit a plastic plane like the B-2 with a high powered laser and ignited it while in flight, would it keep burning while flying? Is there a downside to using plastic airplanes instead of metal skinned?

Before Russia builds a new bomber wouldn't they first need to get some sort of control over the Space spectrum? It seems Russia isn't able to get much into space for defense. If the adversary has directed energy weapons in space they really wouldn't need bombers except to mop up after the important things were already destroyed. Thus the Bear would be sufficient for that low speed job.

There's an American UFO guy named John Lear that says on his website America gave Russia a SR-71 to get them to let America do Gulf War 1. Did Russia really get a SR-71? If so couldn't a high speed bomber be made using that airframe as a pattern with lower speed engines to get munitions/cruise missiles on target faster than the Bear?

If Russia can't get Space control a new bomber won't do any good. Why hasn't Russia forced a ban on HAARP yet? If the rumors of that technology are true it can alter atmospheric conditions to make your planes drop from the sky or hit thick air at high speed/like hitting a brick wall. Raise Earth's atmosphere so it causes drag on your satellites. Destroy your crops. It's worse than nuclear bombs. You can't see it being used. Except the twin sun sighting in China recently. Likely caused by atmosphere being raised above Earth causing drag on their satellites...resulting in mirage effect so people on the ground see two sun mirage from bulging atmosphere in space.